FDA to review AeroShot inhaled caffeine

AeroShot, an inhaled caffeine product, will be reviewed by the FDA over safety and legal concerns.

AeroShot, an inhaled caffeine product, will be reviewed by the FDA over safety and legal concerns. (AeroShot)

Tiffany Hsu

AeroShot Pure Energy, the inhalable caffeine product that went on sale last month, will be investigated by Food and Drug Administration officials concerned about whether it’s safe for consumers.

Breathable Foods, the company that makes the powder and the yellow and gray canisters it’s delivered in, said in a statement that AeroShot is “a safe, effective product that complies with FDA regulations.”

The buzzy item is being sold in convenience stores and other retailers in Massachusetts, New York and France as a $2.99 dietary supplement – a classification that the FDA also will investigate.

In a December letter voicing concerns about the potential of adolescents pairing the product with alcohol, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg to review AeroShot’s safety and legality.

In its statement, Breathable Foods said it would “cooperate fully with the FDA’S review” but added that AeroShot contains B vitamins and only 100 milligrams of caffeine – about as much as in a large cup of coffee.

The company added that AeroShot is not recommended for or marketed to customers younger than 18 and is not designed to mix with liquids. The product, the company noted, should not be used more than three times a day.

AeroShot is far from the first quick-fix caffeine product that has had people panicked. After being banned in several states, Phusion Projects rebranded its Four Loko drinks in late 2010 as alcoholic beverages, without the caffeine, taurine and guarana that had helped the company market the line originally as an energy booster.